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Sources to Asharq Al-Awsat: Hamas Begins Counting Israeli Captives

Protesters in Tel Aviv carry photos of Israeli captives (File photo – Prisoners’ Families Command)
Protesters in Tel Aviv carry photos of Israeli captives (File photo – Prisoners’ Families Command)
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Sources to Asharq Al-Awsat: Hamas Begins Counting Israeli Captives

Protesters in Tel Aviv carry photos of Israeli captives (File photo – Prisoners’ Families Command)
Protesters in Tel Aviv carry photos of Israeli captives (File photo – Prisoners’ Families Command)

Palestinian sources revealed that Hamas has taken new steps to count the number of Israeli captives who were captured during the attacks of October 7, 2023.

According to sources from factions holding some of these captives, the Hamas leadership has reached out to various groups to determine the number of remaining captives in the Gaza Strip. This effort aims to prepare for a potential prisoner exchange deal, as indirect negotiations with Israel make significant progress.

According to reports, some 100 captives are still held inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead.

The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Hamas has also contacted leaders of its military wing to compile lists of captives and their details. The focus is primarily on living Israeli captives, while efforts are also underway to locate the remains of those killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza. The sources emphasized that retrieving these bodies would require a ceasefire, a condition Hamas has communicated to Egyptian and other mediators during recent talks.

Some remains are reportedly unaccounted for, as prisoners were killed alongside their captors. Locating them will take time, and a ceasefire would significantly aid in these efforts, the sources noted.

Separately, sources close to the Hamas leadership indicated that the group has prioritized safeguarding the lives of Israeli officers and soldiers captured from military sites. These captives will only be released in later stages of any agreement, in exchange for the freeing of Palestinian prisoners serving long sentences.

Hamas’s leadership is engaged in extensive internal consultations and discussions with Palestinian factions regarding proposals presented during recent meetings in Cairo. The sources pointed to broad consensus within Hamas and among the factions on the necessity of a ceasefire agreement, modeled after previous arrangements in Lebanon. Such an agreement would entail a comprehensive and gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

Both Hamas and Israel are expected to respond to Egypt’s proposal, supported by other mediators and the United States, by mid-next week. Israel’s security cabinet has convened to discuss developments in the negotiations with Hamas, alongside other security matters. Additional meetings are scheduled for the coming days.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported that a senior Israeli delegation is set to travel to Cairo next week to discuss a potential prisoner exchange deal with Hamas. The report speculates that Hamas may respond positively to the Egyptian proposal. Israel’s public broadcaster Kan confirmed that indirect negotiations have resumed, with both sides exchanging ideas to finalize a prisoner swap and end the conflict.

An Israeli political source expressed cautious optimism, noting that Tel Aviv has communicated its seriousness to mediators about advancing a deal. Reports indicate that both Israel and Hamas are demonstrating flexibility on previously contentious issues, signaling an unprecedented level of seriousness from Israel to reach a comprehensive agreement.

Channel 12 also reported that Qatar has resumed its mediation efforts, following approval from US President-elect Donald Trump. These developments follow the release of a video by Hamas’ armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, showing an Israeli-American captive, Aidan Alexander, pleading with Trump to secure his release through a prisoner exchange.

The video prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to contact the captive’s family, assuring them that negotiations could result in an agreement at any moment. Netanyahu later met with the family and reiterated Israel’s commitment to securing the return of all captives held in Gaza.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military disclosed findings about the deaths of six Israeli prisoners who were reportedly killed by Hamas captors in Khan Yunis months earlier. This revelation has increased pressure on Israeli officials to finalize a deal, with military leaders strongly advocating for negotiations.

Netanyahu, initially hesitant, has shown greater openness to an agreement following Trump’s election. Trump has publicly urged for the release of Israeli captives before his January 20 inauguration, reiterating his stance in recent social media statements.

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A New Year Dawns on a Middle East Torn by Conflict and Change

A member of the Syrian Salvation Government stands guard in front of a graffiti that reads "Heaven, my homeland" on New Year's Eve at the Bab Touma square, after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, December 31, 2024. (Reuters)
A member of the Syrian Salvation Government stands guard in front of a graffiti that reads "Heaven, my homeland" on New Year's Eve at the Bab Touma square, after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, December 31, 2024. (Reuters)
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A New Year Dawns on a Middle East Torn by Conflict and Change

A member of the Syrian Salvation Government stands guard in front of a graffiti that reads "Heaven, my homeland" on New Year's Eve at the Bab Touma square, after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, December 31, 2024. (Reuters)
A member of the Syrian Salvation Government stands guard in front of a graffiti that reads "Heaven, my homeland" on New Year's Eve at the Bab Touma square, after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, December 31, 2024. (Reuters)

In Damascus, the streets were buzzing with excitement Tuesday as Syrians welcomed in a new year that seemed to many to bring a promise of a brighter future after the unexpected fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government weeks earlier.

While Syrians in the capital looked forward to a new beginning after the ousting of Assad, the mood was more somber along Beirut’s Mediterranean promenade, where residents shared cautious hopes for the new year, reflecting on a country still reeling from war and ongoing crises.

War-weary Palestinians in Gaza who lost their homes and loved ones in 2024 saw little hope that 2025 would bring an end to their suffering.

The last year was a dramatic one in the Middle East, bringing calamity to some and hope to others. Across the region, it felt foolish to many to attempt to predict what the next year might bring.

In Damascus, Abir Homsi said she is optimistic about a future for her country that would include peace, security and freedom of expression and would bring Syrian communities previously divided by battle lines back together.

“We will return to how we once were, when people loved each other, celebrated together whether it is Ramadan or Christmas or any other holiday — no restricted areas for anyone,” she said.

But for many, the new year and new reality carried with it reminders of the painful years that came before.

Abdulrahman al-Habib, from the eastern Syrian city of Deir Ezzor, had come to Damascus in hopes of finding relatives who disappeared after being arrested under Assad’s rule. He was at the capital’s Marjeh Square, where relatives of the missing have taken to posting photos of their loved ones in search of any clue to their whereabouts.

“We hope that in the new year, our status will be better ... and peace will prevail in the whole Arab world,” he said.

In Lebanon, a tenuous ceasefire brought a halt to fighting between Israel and the Hezbollah group a little over a month ago. The country battered by years of economic collapse, political instability and a series of calamities since 2019, continues to grapple with uncertainty, but the truce has brought at least a temporary return to normal life.

Some families flocked to the Mzaar Ski Resort in the mountains northeast of Beirut on Tuesday to enjoy the day in the snow even though the resort had not officially opened.

“What happened and what’s still happening in the region, especially in Lebanon recently, has been very painful,” said Youssef Haddad, who came to ski with his family. “We have great hope that everything will get better.”

On Beirut's seaside corniche, Mohammad Mohammad from the village of Marwahin in southern Lebanon was strolling with his three children.

“I hope peace and love prevail next year, but it feels like more (challenges) await us,” he said.

Mohammad was among the tens of thousands displaced during more than a year of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. Now living in Jadra, a town that was also bombarded during the conflict, he awaits the end of a 60-day period, after which the Israeli army is required to withdraw under the conditions of a French and US-brokered ceasefire.

“Our village was completely destroyed,” Mohammad said. His family would spend a quiet evening at home, he said. This year “was very hard on us. I hope 2025 is better than all the years that passed.”

In Gaza, where the war between Hamas and Israel has killed more than 45,500 Palestinians, brought massive destruction and displaced most of the enclave's population, few saw cause for optimism in the new year.

“The year 2024 was one of the worst years for all Palestinian people. It was a year of hunger, displacement, suffering and poverty,” said Nour Abu Obaid, a displaced woman from northern Gaza.

Obaid, whose 10-year-old child was killed in a strike in the so-called “humanitarian zone” in Muwasi, said she didn’t expect anything good in 2025. “The world is dead,” she said. “We do not expect anything, we expect the worst.”

The war was sparked by the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel in which fighters killed around 1,200 people and abducted some 250 others.

Ismail Salih, who lost his home and livelihood, expressed hopes for an end to the war in 2025 so that Gaza's people can start rebuilding their lives.

The year that passed “was all war and all destruction,” he said. “Our homes are gone, our trees are gone, our livelihood is lost.”

In the coming year, Salih said he hopes that Palestinians can “live like the rest of the people of the world, in security, reassurance and peace.”